Taunton native reflects on whirlwind 'World of Dance' experience

Monday

TAUNTON — Following a three-week run on national television on NBC’s "World of Dance," Taunton’s own Kaylee Purtell said that there has been no better way to kick-start her dancing career.

After having advanced to “The Cut” round along with five other teams in their division, Purtell and her fellow dancers in the Los Angeles-based Radiance Contemporary Dance Company were eliminated on April 21 — just missing a top three spot to advance to the divisional final.

Purtell said that while she was disappointed that she and her teammates were not able to woo the judges enough to earn a spot in the finals, her introduction to the professional dancing world has been priceless.

“(Competing) has been a really great experience for me overall. Working with a team in such a short amount of time was hard, but we got past any struggles we had in our dances,” said Purtell.

Radiance was knocked out of the competition following a near-perfect routine by the Seoul, South Korea-based team “The Heima.”

Purtell and Radiance looked set to advance to the divisional final, earning an average score of 92.7, but The Heima pushed them to fourth place with a score of 97.7, tied for first place.

The theme of Radiance’s dance performance — set to the song “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” by John Mayer — was a tribute to those killed, injured or otherwise affected by mass shootings that have occurred around the country.

Shortly before the filming of "The Cut" in November, Purtell said that the group’s director Rudy Abreu was “deeply affected” by the Thousand Oaks, California Borderline Bar and Grill shooting and decided to scrap a routine that Radiance was set to perform in favor of one focusing on gun violence.

“(We’re) bringing awareness to the tragic shootings…that have become too normal,” one member told judges Ne-Yo, Jennifer Lopez and Derek Hough after the group’s performance.

All three judges agreed that while the routine’s overall message was important, they felt that it was lacking in several areas.

“It moved me tremendously…(but) from a competitive standpoint, there were a few moments that were not quite together,” Hough told the group.

“The message behind this piece is so powerful and poignant and so important right now – I felt you,” said Ne-Yo, who “agreed” with Hough’s sentiment and criticism of the performance in “one or two spots.”

“You can’t go to a movie theater, you can’t go to bar, you can’t go to school without the fear of something like this happening, so it’s an important thing that needs to be addressed and talked about,” said Lopez.

“I have to say, I felt the piece itself could have been stronger…I didn’t understand this was about shootings,” she continued, adding that she “loved” seeing the group “up here every week.”

Purtell noted that one criticism that factored into the judges’ decision was a comment that Ne-Yo had made to the group after he had watched them rehearse their routine for the first time.

Ne-Yo, who personally mentored Radiance during The Cut round, gave the performance a score of 94, while Lopez and Hough each gave it a 92.

“Our mentorship with Ne-Yo happened a few days before we performed,” said Purtell.

“When (Ne-Yo) first saw our routine he was totally speechless, but he also said to make sure our emotion wasn’t so strong when we performed.”

In light of the judges’ constructive criticism, Purtell said that she and her fellow dancers are appreciative of the opportunity that had been given to them — and what they learned from it.

“I still talk to all of them,” she said.

One of the most difficult challenges she faced during her time on the show, Purtell said, was practicing their routine for The Duels round.

Purtell said she was the dancer who performed an upside down split while being held in the air as another dancer jumped over her.

“I was upside down in a split for the lift and she jumped right over me. I can’t count the number of times she fell on me,” she joked.

“At first, we didn’t think the lift was going to work out, but it did.”

Purtell is happy to add a new set of skills to her repertoire, particularly those related to “choreography,” as well as “musicality and timing.”

Aside from having danced in several music videos, notably one for a song by Leona Lewis, Purtell said she has been doing “small things” related to her dancing career.

“I went home for Easter. I’ve been taking new classes since then and we’ll see where it takes me,” she said.

For now, she said, the focus has been on improving her abilities and branching out in the L.A. dancing world, especially after her strong performances on national television.

“The benefit of going on a TV show is the exposure. It’s now something I can add to my resume,” she said.

“For my friends and family who watched who maybe don’t understand dance, it was great because they could see exactly what I’ve been working on out here.”

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